A
New London police officer was arrested today and charged with hitting a man in
the face while he was sitting handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser.

Deana
M. Nott, age 50, of Waterford, was arrested by inspectors from the Statewide
Prosecution Bureau in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney on a warrant
charging her with one count of Assault in the Third Degree.

According
to the arrest warrant affidavit, Nott, a New London police officer, was on duty
when she struck a prisoner in the face with her closed fist as he sat
handcuffed in the back seat of a police cruiser on June 22, 2016.

The
37-year-old man, who had been arrested following a domestic disturbance,
sustained a minor laceration to his lower lip but declined an offer for medical
treatment and chose not to file a complaint with the police department,
according to the warrant.

Nott
was released on a written promise to appear in New London Superior Court, G.A.
No. 10, on February 1, 2018. The charges are merely an accusation and she is
presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Assault
in the Third Degree is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year
imprisonment and a fine of up to $2,000. The case is being prosecuted by the Statewide
Prosecution Bureau.